Eight Hints for Doctor Who's Future Found in New Full-Length Trailer

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Yesterday, the BBC debuted the long-awaited first FULL trailer for the 8th series (or season) of Doctor Who. For anyone not caught up on DW, this season will see a different actor playing the Doctor; the venerable Peter Capaldi. However, this is a big switch from the youthful, fun, joke-factory of Matt Smith's Doctor, so hold for some serious tonal differences. Check out the video here.

Here are eight hints about the direction of this new season that we saw in the new trailer.

The Daleks are Back

Featured almost as prominently as Clara and the Doctor himself are the Daleks. They get a voice over at the start of the trailer, and are seen in their entirety throughout the trailer. The Doctor may have a new face, but nobody is screwing around with these recognizable villains.

The Doctor is Now Literally Way Older than Ever Before

The Doctor mentions he’s over 2,000 years old in this trailer, which (probably) means he’s around that age when he regenerated in “The Time of the Doctor.” This puts him over 1,000 years older than the 9th, 10th or 11th Doctors at the start of their run, and makes him not only the oldest actor to play the Doctor, but now the oldest doctor, too.

Peter Capaldi Has at Least Three Different Outfits in this One Trailer

From Bedclothes, to wearing a black tie, to wearing his new outfit, the Doctor switches it up in this trailer. But, never forget, rocking your nightgown for your entire first episode is in keeping with David Tennant’s “The Christmas Invasion,” where he wore a bathrobe the ENTIRE time.

He’s Not Switching Out His Sonic Screwdriver

As Clara says “I don’t know who the Doctor is anymore,” we see the Doctor holding his sonic screwdriver downward, in an almost gunslinger-esque pose. It still looks like Matt Smith’s sonic, meaning this Doctor is likely not going to switch to newer, fancier gear. Though, there is a precedent for this: the 10th Doctor didn’t switch his sonic when he regenerated from the 9th Doctor either.

Clara Seems Super-Trepidatious About this Doctor

From terrified close-ups, to the fact that Clara says “I don’t know” twice in this trailer, even a little-kid (especially a little kid?) would understand that Clara isn’t sure about all this. It’s been awhile since a new Doctor has had to convince and companion that he’s a good person, but it seems like the first time he’s actually asking the companion to validate all of it.

There’s a Dinosaur in London

And it looks like a T-Rex, but maybe it’s another therapod in that family. Either way. It looks awesome.

This Trailer Is the Tonal Opposite of Both Smith and Tennant’s Debuts

If you watch the old trailers back in 2006 and 2010 respectively for the debuts the previous Doctors, you’ll see a lot more whimsy, smiling, laughing, and playful running. There’s none of that here, and the music is even slower and more ominous. This trailer is more similar to Christopher Eccleston’s first trailer, too, but even that one featured one smile from the Doctor.

A Hint About Gallifrey Returning?

When Clara asks where they (she and the Doctor) are going he replies with “to darkness.” He also mentions earlier in the trailer that he’s made a lot mistakes and now it’s time to “do something about that.” Plunging into darkness could be a hint about the search for Gallifrey and the idea that he’s doing something about mistakes could be a reference to the destruction of Gallifrey in the original timeline of the Time War. The 50th Anniversary heavily implied the Doctor was going to go on a search for his home planet, and Capaldi’s Doctor was definitely present to make sure that happened. So, going into darkness and correcting old wrongs might mean all of this is totally happening.

What did you think of the new trailer? Are you ready for a much darker Doctor?

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About the Author

Ryan Britt is the author of Luke Skywalker Can't Read and Other Geeky Truths, forthcoming from Plume (Penguin) Books on 11.24.15. He's written for The New York Times, Electric Literature, Tor.com. The Awl, VICE Motherboard, Clarkesworld Magazine, and is a consulting editor for Story Magazine. He lives in New York City.